Notes / Commercial Description:
Apex: The highest point, the culmination or climax. In racing, the apex of the turn is approached differently as conditions dictate, but always with a forward looking mindset. This beer is the culmination of years of brewing and drinking hop forward IPAs. We reserve the right to move forward to the next Apex.

More User Reviews:

I had this on tap at Al's of Hampden - served chilled in a standard pint.

A - Brilliant sunny golden with amber highlights -lighter than most of its ilk, but still attractive with very good clarity and a hypnotizing swirling carbonation trail of miniscule bubbles leading up to a semi-rocky pale, white cap. The carbonation rises steadily in a more than moderate pace indicating high effervescence. There is a covering of lace on the inside of the glass which is a thin even film and the bead is tiny. The retention is good holding for a while.

S - The smell is a mix of esters - some mild pine and floral w/ herbal aromas dominating- the smell has a resinous scent w/ sweet bitter notes and there is a citrus quality like lemon rind w/ a malty scent in the background

T - The flavor is satisfying with great hop flavor which is more on the citrus/herbal end w/ very mellow orange and some rind both orange and lemon w/ sweet grassy notes. The mild sweet malt plays into the grassy aspect w/ a light vegetal tinge and mellow spice notes. The citrusy impact gives a light peppery tinge as the beer is swallowed w/ piney resinous bite which hangs on well after the IIPA has left the palate

D - I really enjoyed this - refreshingly high effevescent combined with intense hop packed flavor and clean fermentation w/out an overkill of bitterness - everything falls into place and works well in the mix w/ pine and mild spiciness making for a refreshing Imperial IPA which has no alchohol flavor and it is over 8% abv. I think you will be pleased if you enjoy a dry bitter west coast style Imperial IPA - so happy I tried this, outstanding!

Look I've always had a love affair with the Bear Republic brews, especially Racer 5 when this came out as a tap only offering I've always hoped it would hit the bottles. The patience has paid off...west coast IPA in my glass. Ohio is definitely competing with this IPAs just within the Midwest now we have beers like 3F Permanent Funeral, Great Lakes Chillwave, Fathead's Hop Juju...yet this still has a unique west coast style use of the hops.

Drinking it out of a Petaluma Lagunitas mason jar that's bad ass. This bigger IPA sits a glowing orange copper in the glass with a slightly off white head, forms thick and cloudy textured fine even layered lacing lines the sides of the glass.

Aromatics deep fruit upfront...citrus, pineapple, passion fruit combo starts to bite with a bit of grapefruit peel if I have to pick a citrus fruit, along with dank fruity hop notes. Barely able to write home about the pale malts that basically let the hops shine, let's call it biscuit malt breadiness.

Flavors demand your attention in your face bitterness let's up a bit to let the tropical fruit notes arise ripened mangoes, citric pith again (grapefruit) bitterness of the zesty rind, numbs your tongue for just a second with hop oil bitterness and yet ends in a gentle wave of bready malts...really nice complexity aggression and balance all in one sip like a crashing wave of hop bitterness that settles out enough to enjoy some calm water between sets of awesome 7 to 10 foot waves meant to be ridden.

Mouthfeel is where the beer shines the resinous hop oils let you truly experience all of the hop flavors perfect natural flowing healthy carbonation without tickling your nares, you may experience the best hop burps ever off of this brew. Medium bodied, oily slick texture, chunks of hops floating in suspension like chemical nature of high school chemistry described.

These brewers were paying attention at some point in their education and because of their location and distance to the hop growing regions of California and the PNW, I'm guessing they have a healthy respect for marijuana as well. I don't partake, but this is definitely a first cousin with all of the Humulus Lupulin flowing. Overall, my love affair has been rekindled...amazing beer...definitely an Apex for them as a brewery for sure.

I really liked this one. I had been trying to get a hold of it forever and really was stoked when I finally saw it cross my path in a recent BIF. Nice growler that I kept cold and decided to open up last night. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 04/21/2009.

The pour was very nice. Rich dark amber color with a nice light head of white on top that reached a height of around two and a half inches before settling back down to earth and leaving tons of sticky lace all along the sides of the glass. Really nice aroma here, lots of fresh hops, orange and grapefruit and blending in perfectly here, really very well done. Bright with not a lot of malt balancing it out, this was a hopheads IPA for sure. Smooth, clean, crisp, and refreshing taste, I was thoroughly impressed with the way this one went down. Nice and dry in the finish left a long lingering flavor of pineapple on the tongue that just begged me to go back for another sip. Great medium feel and a smooth profile led to the most supreme session ability.

Overall an outstanding IPA that I am thrilled to be able to try. I would have no issue at all with being able to go back and get this one again any day. Really very well done and a tremendous asset to their lineup.

A: The beer is relatively clear amber yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that died down but mostly left a thin head covering the surface, a collar around the edge, and some lacing down the sides.
S: The smell has moderately strong initial aromas of tropical fruits followed by notes of citrusy hops. Hints of pine also become noticeable once the beer warms up.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of citrus and tropical fruit hops, although the citrus seems to stand out stronger and there are hints of alcohol towards the finish. Only a light amount of bitterness is noticeable, but this becomes stronger as it warms. As in the smell, hints of piney hops start to appear once the beer warms up.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The hops in this IPA smelled and tasted very fresh and provided an interesting mix of flavors, although I preferred the predominant tropical fruit hops when the beer was cold. Nonetheless, this is a pleasant beer to sip and savor the changes in aromas and flavors as its temperature changes.

Oohfaaa this is the good stuff....happy to enjoy this on tap at the Blind Tiger in NYC this evening. Pours semi cloudy orangy amber, under a fluffy light tan head that leave plenty of ringed and splotchy lace. Nose is all about the citrus and resiny hops. On the tongue and in the mouth, the hop crunch here is outstanding and unmistakable, one sip and the brain says high quality DIPA.

Purchase a growler from Green's on Piney Grove.
Pours a really nice orange-yellow with a thin consistent blanket of head.
Nose is mainly citrus/tropical fruit flavors from the hops, some caramel from the substantial malt backbone and just a touch of alcohol.
This beer boasts 100+ ibu's and I will not argue. Flavor is much more complex than some other ipa's/dipas. This is not a one dimensional hop-bomb sort of beer. It is very well balanced and the flavors compliment each other nicely.
The thing that makes this beer stand out for me is the mouthfeel. It is not thin and watery. It has heft. It has substance. And it has a flavor profile that screams west coast with the sublety of east coast.
Apex;maybe. I've had beter, but not many. This beer sits on the line between ipa and dipa and I don't think I care which it is. I like it a lot and I am happy to have tried it.